/ Design study 34

Wine merchant website design.A concept with character.

An independent wine merchant website concept that connects thoughtful selection with clear product notes, food context and shop discovery.

Illustrative conceptWebsite & content direction

An original study for an imagined business. Concept names and logos are intentionally blurred. This is not a client project or a claim about business results.

Business typeWine merchant

Study scopeDesign · Structure · Content

Concept identity

A deep plum editorial frame pairs bottle silhouettes with warm paper tones. Narrow text columns and restrained labels give product notes the feel of a considered recommendation.

01 / The starting point

A website with
a clear job to do.

The imagined brief

imagines an independent wine merchant helping adult customers explore a selected range. The website should make the choice approachable through clear descriptions and context, while giving more interested readers space to learn about regions and producers. Shop visits and product exploration are the central journeys.

The customer challenge

A catalogue organised only by technical attributes can feel intimidating. This concept offers understandable browsing routes and keeps specific product information available when a visitor wants greater detail.

02 / The design direction

Character in
the details.

The concierge composition, colour palette and type direction give its visual identity. These choices support the way a customer explores the business.

Type & tone / Expressive serifA bottle. A good story.Aa Bb Cc · 0123456789

Paper#EEE8DF

Ink#4C2936

Accent#B79B68

Scene#C9B5AE

DECISION 01

Offer useful entry points

Collections can group wines by style or food context alongside conventional region and grape information. The language helps readers orient themselves without claiming one correct choice.

DECISION 02

Keep tasting language grounded

Product notes should describe the actual wine and its source information. Short, specific descriptions are more useful than repeating a list of celebratory adjectives across the range.

DECISION 03

Give the shop a visible presence

Visiting details and the route to asking a question stay close to collection browsing. The digital experience introduces a conversation rather than pretending a recommendation is universally suitable.

03 / In your hand

Considered for
a smaller screen.

Bottle information appears in a single readable column. Collection filters use clear text labels, and long producer notes are separated with descriptive headings.

Sample website copy

A little context goes a long way

Explore the style, read the bottle notes and discover where a wine comes from. Clear information gives you a starting point for choosing, whether you know exactly what you enjoy or want to ask a new question.

04 / The page plan

A place for every
useful detail.

This proposed five-page structure follows the customer’s questions. Each page has a distinct purpose, with clear routes between discovering the business, understanding the offer and making contact.

Home

Introduce the merchant and selection approach.

The selection

Browse meaningful wine collections.

Bottle notes

Present specific product and origin information.

From the notebook

Explore regions, producers and food context.

Visit the shop

Provide practical details and an enquiry route.

05 / Content & discovery

Useful to people.
Clear to search.

Original bottle and producer descriptions support specific topics. Any transactional implementation would need the business’s actual age-restriction and fulfilment process; this study illustrates presentation and content only.

independent wine merchantwine selection noteswine shop

Proposed content topics for this imagined business, rather than measured search volumes or ranking claims.

How can a wine website make browsing more approachable?

Combine familiar product facts with plain-language descriptions and useful collection themes. Visitors should be able to explore without already knowing specialist terminology.

Should editorial stories link to the range?

Yes, where the connection helps the reader. A producer or region story can lead to relevant bottles while remaining useful content in its own right.

Keep exploring

More in food & experiences.

Different businesses call for different choices. Explore another approach to the layout, content and customer journey.

Speciality grocer / 07

A speciality grocer website concept that brings a curated range, producer stories and practical shop information into one readable experience.

Design case studyIllustrative concept

Coffee roaster / 16

A coffee roaster website concept that makes flavour, brewing choices and wholesale enquiries approachable without losing the craft behind the product.